Want to make DIVOTS!

Folks,

Have been a clean "Picker" of balls with every club(except Putter and Sand Wedge - in bunkers). I would like to switch to "Hitting Down" and "Divot" taking group to improve consistency. Play about a 12 and would like to get down. Some questions.....

1) How do you practice hitting "down" on mats ?

2) Does it not hurt the wrist to hit down? On Mats? and on the course?

3) I read of gaining distance by htting down! Is that true? I hit 5I about 200 and consider it decent distance

4) Lastly, what are the drills to switch?

5) Should one switch? This is one nagging question in the back of my mind. Mostly because of the usrge to resist change.

Your inputs pls. Would love to hear from people who switched. How long it took and what they did?

Ranga

__________________
Ranga

I too, was a picker. The biggest problem I had was over shifting my weight to the right side and then staying back on the right side to try to LIFT the ball in the air. I also tended to come over the top. 2 HUGE mistakes when trying to play solid iron shots. However, to your questions….

1) If you want to learn how to hit down and take proper divots, hit on the grass. The game is not played on a mat. The only acceptable alternative is those tall bristle mats that prop the ball up about 1 inch. They allow you to hit down through them. Game is played on grass, so practice on it.
2) I hurt my wrist hitting too steeply into a mat once. If you make contact with the ball 1st like you are supposed to, you shouldn’t hurt yourself. You just have to make a conscious effort to hit the ball 1st.
3) I gained about 10 yards on each club. I now hit a 6 iron about 180 yard and a 5 iron about 190. This happened because I learned to make “ball 1st contact,” the proper “inside approach” and a proper weight shift.
4) Here is what I practice to continue to make ball 1st, divot 2nd swings….
- 1st, half sand and pitching wedge swings. I make 3 practice swings with the ball about 3 inches in front of my club head. I make sure that my club contacts the turf IN FRONT of the ball. This also shows me where I need to position the ball in my stance. I also keep 60% of my weight on the left side and make it stay there. This promotes a descending blow.
- 2nd, three-quarter 9 thru 7 iron swings. Again, same 3 practice swings with the ball 3 inches in front. Same contact. Looking for where I need to put the ball in my stance. I continue to keep weight on the left side, but not as much. I let the weight shift a little more. ***NOTE: I focus on my 1st move down being a SLIGHT, SLIGHT bump of the left hip to drop the club in the slot.***
5) Yes you should. My ball striking has dramatically improved. I went from a 14 HC down to a 6 in about 2 years.

__________________
What's in my bag....
Cleveland VP 2 Blade Putter
Ping Tour Wedges, 54 & 60
TaylorMade rac LT2, 4i thru PW
Tour Edge Exotics Iron-Wood 21* 3i - Aldila NV 90 Stiff Shaft
Ping G5 18* 5 Wood - ProLaunch Blue 75 Stiff Shaft
Ping G5 15* 3 Wood - Aldila NV 75 Stiff Shaft
Cleveland HiBore XL 9.5* - Fujikura Fit-On Red Stiff Shaft

are your ball marks in the center of you clubs??

Now that you ask. I think if you pick them, they will be on the lower end of the club and not in the center. But I remember seeing them in the center....why do you ask?

YOU DONT NEED TO TAKE DIVOTS!

Tom Watson one of the best players of all time didnt hardly touch the grass! And taking divots does not make you more consistent, it makes your distance control more inconsistent because you are compressing the ball more and you can catch flyers and all sorts of things.

If you are a picker, then you are a picker! Nothing wrong with that,.

Improve your game by working on the short game!

...ever try to PICK a ball out of thick ruff? Most pros will tell you to make a descending blow which will result in a divot. Im not talking a Tiger Woods size t-bone steak...but a divot nevertheless.

RHarris...would you still stay to make contact with the ball 1st?

your ball marks should be in the cent of the irons. if they are near the lower edge, you are not hitting the ball on the sweet spot of the iron and losing distance and spin.

The Only Advise I Can Give To You Don't You Try To Take Divot(practice )in The Matt Does'nt Work And You Going To End Like Me With A Golf Elbow!!and I Can Tell You No Fun!!
by the way im a picker divots once in a blue moon!!!

Funny, I just had this conversation with another player today. My advice to him and to you is going to be the same. Don't concentrate to much on making a divot. Making a fundamentally sound swing will produce a divot. However, making a divot doesn't mean you're making a good swing. What you should be focusing on is: swinging on a slight in to out path, hitting the ball near the center of the iron face and making contact at the bottom of your swing arc. If you're doing these things, the divot part will take care of itself. NOTE: You can not properly practice the melding of these swing points on those standard driving range mats. I always tell people to find a grass range to practice your irons and use a mat range for your woods.

Hope this helps,

Terence O.

You can still hit the ball first and not take a divot! Not taking a divot does not mean you are scooping it or whatever its just you are hitting right at the bottom of the swing arc. When you say divots im guessing you mean chuck of grass? When I say you dont need to take a divot you do still skim the grass! Jim Furyk and Billy Mayfair are another examples of not taking divots!

COULD YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN ABOUT THE 3 INCHES IN FRONT OF THE CLUB. AT ADDRESS, WHEN I TAKE A PRACTICE SWING, I SET UP TO THE BALL AND TAKE MY PRACTICE SWINGS WITH THE BALL BEING ABOVE MY CLUB, NOT IN FRONT, THANKS

When I say 3 inches in front, I think what you say is right about "above" the club.

Set up like normal to the ball like you are going to take a regular shot. Using the club, move the ball 3 inches from the toe of your club and reset your club head how you had it when you 1st set up to the ball.

The ball should be 3 inches from the TOE of your club head, above the toe. You should be able to make an inside-square-inside practice swing and identify when you are striking the ground.

Where you strike the ground SHOULD be ahead of the ball, towards your target.

__________________
What's in my bag....
Cleveland VP 2 Blade Putter
Ping Tour Wedges, 54 & 60
TaylorMade rac LT2, 4i thru PW
Tour Edge Exotics Iron-Wood 21* 3i - Aldila NV 90 Stiff Shaft
Ping G5 18* 5 Wood - ProLaunch Blue 75 Stiff Shaft
Ping G5 15* 3 Wood - Aldila NV 75 Stiff Shaft
Cleveland HiBore XL 9.5* - Fujikura Fit-On Red Stiff Shaft

If you really think you have to take divots and you want to start hitting the ball first and then a divot do this :

When set up to the ball dont look at the middle of the ball, dont look at the back of the ball stare at a peice of grass 2inches target side of the ball, dont ask me how but it does make your club head hit the ground at the spot so you hit the ball first.

It's all to do with the sternum! The swing bottoms out in line with the sternum.

Place the ball in a sound reference position (In my case this is in line with my left armpit for all clubs) now move the right foot and sternum backwards or forwards from the ball to control where the swing bottoms in relation to the ball.

As we know some clubs must sweep the ball away and some hit down on it. For a mid iron (say a 7i) place your sternum just ahead of the ball, you will now hit the ball then bottom out just past making a shallow divot. For a wedge (say PW) place the sternum further ahead with the right foot closer, this will put your weight more on the front foot, your swing will bottom in front the ball thus making steeper contact into the back and a deeper divot. For longer clubs (say 3i) move the right foot and sternum further behind the ball so the swing bottoms out earlier and the club sweeps the ball with little or no divot. The driver is just further back again.

__________________
Best Regards
Brian

________________________________
Funny o'l game!

WHEN YOU TAKE THE IRON BACK, DOES IT LOOK LIKE THE TOE OF THE IRON GOES FIRST OR DO YOU TAKE IT BACK WITH THE FACE OF THE IRON LOOKING LIKE THE SAME WAY IT DOES AT ADDRESS?